Phantom Shadows (36 page)

Bastien looked over his shoulder.

Roland stepped forward. “Bastien has asked me to transform you, Dr. Lipton, if you so desire it.”

Transform her. Make her an immortal. Like Bastien.

She had always known the option was there for her and had intended to take advantage of it. She was a
gifted one
, after all. It just had always seemed like something that would happen in the distant future. Not now.

She focused on Bastien. “Why Roland? Why don’t
you
want to transform me?” It hurt that he would rather someone else do it.

Leaning forward, he stroked her face in a loving gesture she was surprised he would let the others witness. “I want you to be strong like Sarah. I want you to have every advantage over our enemies. I want you to be able to kick my ass when you get tired of my bullshit.”

She covered his hand with hers, understanding now why such seemed to take so much effort.

Roland nodded somberly. “We all want you to be able to kick Bastien’s ass. And you don’t have to wait to get tired of his bullshit.”

Melanie smiled. “I admit, there were times I would’ve already done so if I could.”

Everyone laughed.

Except for Bastien. His brow remained furrowed with concern. “Will you do it? Will you let Roland transform you? I’ll be right here. I won’t leave you.”

She found enough strength to squeeze his hand. “I will. But I don’t want you to stay.” Yes, she did. She really, really did. “I’m going to be out of commission for a few days and—”

“You’ll do it? You’ll become an immortal?”

“Yes.”

The relief that swept his handsome features was heartrending. For a moment she thought he would weep with it. “Thank you.” He pressed a kiss to her hand. “As I said, I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you and help you through the transformation.”

She shook her head. “As much as I would like you to stay with me, finding Cliff and Joe is more important than holding my hair for me while I vomit.”

“I don’t want you to go through this alone.”

Linda rested a hand on his shoulder. “I could watch over her at night while you hunt. Then you could take over during the day.”

Bastien seemed surprised by the offer. “Thank you.” He looked at Melanie. “Is that what you want?”

“Sounds good.” Melanie drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, nervous butterflies fluttering in her belly. “Okay then, can we go ahead and do this? The sooner we get it done, the sooner I’ll stop feeling like this.”

Bastien started to rise. Roland cupped his shoulder and eased him back down, then walked around to the other side of the bed.

Melanie searched out Sarah’s gaze. “You’re okay with this?”

Smiling, Sarah nodded. “It won’t bind the two of you together or anything.”

Jeeze.
She hadn’t even thought of that. That was good to know. “Does it hurt?”

“I don’t remember Roland biting me.”

Of course she didn’t. Melanie had forgotten the GHB-like chemical the glands above their fangs produced and released under the pressure of a bite.

“What about the rest of it?”

“It’s like having the worst case of the flu ever. You’ll be miserable as hell for about three days. But, if you’re like me, you won’t remember most of it.”

Melanie nodded. “It’s worth it.”

Sarah smiled at her husband. “It really is.”

Roland winked at Sarah and carefully removed the IV, needle, and tape.

Melanie’s heart slammed against her ribs. Her eyes sought and clung to Bastien’s. “I’m nervous.” She needn’t say it. Everyone but Linda could hear the physical manifestations of it. “Were you nervous?”

He smiled. “My transformation took several weeks. Definitely not the way I would recommend being transformed, by the way. And when I realized what was happening, I was terrified.”

Roland lifted her free arm off the mattress. “Do you want a warning, or should I do it on the sly?”

“Warning.”

“Then consider this your warning.”

She nodded.

His lips parted. His fangs descended. Bending his head, he sank his teeth into her arm at the bend of her elbow where she had donated blood so often.

She gritted her teeth. It felt like twin needles piercing her.

Where was the erotic ecstasy vampire bites inspired in movies and novels and TV shows? Not that she wanted to feel that for Roland.

Bastien brushed his hand over her hair. “Okay?”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him, feeling very mellow all of a sudden. “You’re cute with your hair slicked back like that.”

Someone snickered.

Bastien’s smile widened. “Thank you. Shall I wear it like this more often?”

“Absolutely. It makes me want to run my fingers through it and muss it up.”

His eyes flared amber.

“I like that, too,” she said. Were her words beginning to slur? “I like it when your eyes glow. You’re so beautiful.”

“I don’t know about her,” Étienne murmured, “but I’m beginning to feel rather nauseated.”

Melanie laughed. “He’s just jealous because you’re hotter than he is.”

Bastien gave her a rueful smile. “Perhaps it would be best if you rested and didn’t speak.”

“Why? I feel . . . I feel great. So relaxed and . . .”

The lights went out. No. No, wait. She had just closed her eyes.

Opening them, she examined Bastien with a grin. “You look like those women in the old Star Trek TV show episodes.”

Someone guffawed in the background.

Bastien smiled and frowned at the same time. “I don’t know how to take that.”

“It’s like I’m seeing you through a soft focus camera. You’re all blurry and pretty.”

More male laughter.

“Jackasses,” a woman with a French accent said. “Stop laughing. She can’t help it.”

“We’re not laughing at her. We’re laughing at him.”

“Ignore them,” Bastien said, leaning forward to stroke her hair again.

Melanie practically purred with pleasure. “You know what I want to do when I’m immortal?”

“What’s that?”

She licked her lips. “I want to make love with you again.” His eyes flared brighter. “I want to know what your bare body will feel like against mine when all of my senses are heightened.”

A throat cleared. “Okay. This is starting to get personal. I’m thinking maybe you should get us out of here, Richart.”

“Good idea. Lisette, are you coming with us?”

“Oui.”

Bastien leaned in close, still holding her hand. “You shouldn’t say such things, sweetheart.”

She tried to move her other arm, but couldn’t. Someone was holding it.

“Don’t move your arm, love,” Bastien instructed softly.

A winter chill seemed to settle into her body. “I’m cold,” she said, shivering.

Bastien turned away. “Do you have another blanket?” Releasing her hand, he shook out a blanket and draped it over her. “Better?”

When he leaned down again, she touched his face, stroked his jaw. “It isn’t true.”

“What isn’t?”

Her eyelids felt so heavy. “Not too good for you.”

“Yes, you are.”

“If . . . were . . . wouldn’t be . . . falling in love with . . .”

Bastien stared at Melanie, his heart jackhammering in his chest.

She was falling in love with him?

Just the possibility of it left him feeling as euphoric as if he were himself a mortal who had been bitten.

He had known she was attracted to him, that she had tender feelings for him. Hell, he had used any damned excuse he could find to brush up against her so he could let those emotions wash over him. But he hadn’t realized . . .

He knew he loved her. His desire to spend every moment he could with her, his need to protect her, and the happiness that filled him whenever she smiled at him could be nothing less.

But Melanie . . .

How could she love him? How could she think he was good enough for her? He would never be worthy of her.

He looked at Roland, who watched him closely, lips locked on Melanie’s arm.

He looked at Linda.

“I’m pretty sure she would’ve preferred to tell you that in private,” she murmured.

“You don’t think it’s just the influence of the bite confusing her?”

“No. She talks about you all the time. Has for weeks.” She clamped her lips shut. “And now I feel guilty as hell for telling you that. Crap. Forget I said anything.”

Melanie talked about him to Linda?

He opted to look at the woman who had the most reason to hate him last.

“You’re an empath, Bastien,” Sarah said, voice kind. “Surely you knew.”

Melanie’s cold hand grew warm as Roland began to infuse her with the blood he had taken from her. Blood that now carried the virus in large enough amounts to effect a swift transformation.

Bastien said nothing more.

The infirmary door opened and Chris strode in. “What’s going on?” He stopped short when he saw the damage done to the room. “Damn it! We haven’t been here twenty-four hours and you’ve already wrecked the place? At least tell me you destroyed—” He looked over, caught sight of Bastien, and swore.

His eyes widened when he saw Roland standing beside Melanie’s bed with his fangs buried deeply in her arm. “You’re transforming her?”

Bastien nodded and prepared to fight the human if Chris tried to stop them.

“Please, tell me you got her permission first.”

Sarah stepped forward. “We did.”

He relaxed. “Make a list of everything she’ll need during the transformation and I’ll get it.”

Though Bastien believed him, he would feel better if Melanie endured the illness that would soon assault her at David’s place, where the elder immortal would be on hand to aid her if something went wrong. “She’ll have everything she needs at David’s.”

Chris studied the others.

Bastien caught Sarah’s eye and willed her to defend his decision. Chris would never let them take her otherwise.

Sarah produced a smile. “She might be more comfortable in a home environment than she would here. And David will be right there if she should need him. He helped me through
my
transformation.”

Chris nodded. “All right. If you’d like me to arrange to have a doctor stationed in David’s infirmary for the duration, let me know.”

“I’ll do it,” Linda jumped in.

Chris drew his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll—”

Seth abruptly appeared. His eyes surveyed the room, went to Roland and Melanie, and flashed a brilliant gold.

Oh. Shit.

“Did you gain her permission?”

“Yes,” they all hastened to declare.

The luminescence faded, leaving his eyes a brown so dark they were nearly black.

Roland completed the transfusion. As his fangs retracted, he touched his fingers to the bite marks and healed them, then lowered Melanie’s arm gently to the covers. “I thought I would never transform a mortal. Now I’ve transformed two.”

Sarah joined him and leaned into his side, wrapping an arm around his waist.

Seth crossed to stand beside Bastien. Reaching down, he rested his hand atop Melanie’s hair.

How well did he know her?

“We should take her to David’s,” Seth said. “She’ll be more comfortable there. And safe.” He gave the damage to the other part of the room a quick once-over and sighed. “I’m not even going to ask.”

Melanie wondered how many times she would have to hang her head over the damned toilet before her stomach got the message that there wasn’t anything left to come up.

When the latest bout of retching finally ceased, she sat on the floor and leaned back against the huge whirlpool tub, too weary to rise. She was nearing the end of day two of her transformation and
so
wanted it to be over with already.

Sarah had warned her it would be like this, that it would feel as if she had contracted the worst case of the flu ever. Fever, aches, majorly unsettled stomach, a fluctuating migraine. Her muscles felt like she imagined they would if she had never exercised a day in her life, then spent a week working out for hours every day with heavy weights. She was hot. And cold. Her body shivered while heat flayed her just beneath the skin and poured out of her eye sockets.

Melanie grimaced at the image that evoked and told herself to get up and drag her weak ass back into the bedroom.

Minutes passed and she didn’t move.

Oh well. She’d just have to come back in here and gag her head off in half an hour anyway. May as well stick around.

She contemplated her new sumptuous accommodations. Glass tile in soothing green tones. Dark wood cabinets. Bright white sink and tub. Shiny chrome fixtures. Bamboo plants. Fluffy white towels. It was like being in an expensive spa.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head back against the tub.

“Dr. Lipton?”

Frowning, Melanie pried her eyes open. Had she fallen asleep?

Peering up at the small figure leaning over her, she tried to get her eyes to focus. “Ami?”

“Yes. Are you all right?”

“Sure.” She couldn’t seem to get Ami and the rest of the room to quit swirling around.

“Where’s Linda?”

Something about an emergency at the network? Or a Second being injured? Melanie couldn’t remember.

“Can I help you back to bed?”

“Okay.”

Decked out in hunting garb, Ami crouched down in front of her and pulled Melanie’s arms around her neck.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Ami locked her hands behind Melanie’s back, then hoisted her to her feet.

Melanie’s knees buckled. “I don’t know.”

Though smaller than her, Ami shifted Melanie to one side and pretty much carried her into the bedroom. “Why were you on the bathroom floor?”

“Whatever they’re eating upstairs keeps making me sick.”

“You can smell that down here?”

“You can’t?” The scent was so strong they may as well have been cooking it in the damn room with her.

Ami helped her into bed and pressed a hand to Melanie’s forehead. “You’re burning up.”

The sheets felt cold against her skin, inspiring a tidal wave of shivers.

Ami arranged Melanie’s limp body comfortably and drew the covers up to her chin. “She’s burning up,” she said softly.